title: The compensatory anti-inflammatory response syndrome (CARS) in critically ill patients.
abstract: Like the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), the compensatory anti-inflammatory response syndrome (CARS) is a complex pattern of immunologic responses to severe infection or injury. The difference is that while SIRS is a proinflammatory response tasked with killing infectious organisms through activation of the immune system, CARS is a global deactivation of the immune system tasked with restoring homeostasis. Much research now suggests that the timing and relative magnitude of this response have a profound impact on patient outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 593 Eddy Street, APC 707, Providence, RI 02912, USA. nicholas_ward@brown.edu
authors.forename: Nicholas S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Casserly
authors.forename: Alfred
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ayala
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000276:immunology; D017635:Clonal Anergy / Q000276:immunology; D016638:Critical Illness; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000276:immunology; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology*; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000276:immunology*; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000097:blood*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018805:Sepsis / Q000276:immunology*; D013491:Suppressor Factors, Immunologic / Q000097:blood*; D018746:Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D013491:Suppressor Factors, Immunologic